WRTI has entered a new frontier in fund drives. Our mission: to eliminate the traditional Winter Drive as you know it, to boldly go where we’ve never gone before. Enter the WRTI Warp Drive.

What’s a Warp Drive? With your help, it’s faster than the speed of light! We quickly raise $325,000 — with your help now — to avoid the traditional-sounding Winter Drive, which is slated to begin on February 9th.

Sun February 1, 2015

What do you get when you put together a hard-driving percussive Bebop saxophonist with a lyrical, warm Cool Jazz saxophonist? Sonny Stitt and Stan Getz, of course! February 2nd marks the birth of both of these giants of jazz, and Bob Perkins is getting set to celebrate.

Stitt and Getz both arrived on the jazz scene in the mid 1940s. And both went through numerous assignments in big bands and combos as they continued developing their unique jazz voices.

Philadelphia Music Makers, Jan. 25, 6 PM

4:31 pm

Tue January 27, 2015

Vocalist Venissa Santi's musical journey has been one of intimate self discovery. Since childhood, her Cuban parents familiarized her with the sounds of her culture, but not until adulthood did she make pilgrimage to Havana and truly fall in love with the country's songbook.

Creatively Speaking

1:18 pm

Mon January 12, 2015

Vocalist Justine Keeys, aka Miss Justine, is one of Philadelphia’s jazz gems. Starting in the early '80s, she enthralled audiences at clubs and private venues across the Philadelphia area with the late pianist Gerald Price. Their long collaboration taught her the importance of finding the right musical fit. Miss Justine fills in WRTI's Meridee Duddleston about her life in music.

4:39 pm

Mon January 5, 2015

WRTI's Jeff Duperon takes you to the 2015 Winter Jazzfest in New York City. He'll be tweeting from January 8 - 10 while taking in the sights and sounds of this annual jazz marathon, which started in 2005 and is still going strong.

Listen on January 4th Starting at 9 PM

11:05 am

Sat January 3, 2015

Jazz has continuously evolved over the years. However, there are some tried and true standards of the genre that will not be compromised. Case in point: a collective known as The Cookers (Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart, George Cables, Donald Harrison and David Weiss) have staked their claim as the best reminder that jazz requires an active listener.

Thu December 18, 2014

Daniel T. Peterson’s passion for music began early, but it took a long and winding path before it manifested as his career.

As a young child, Peterson exhibited some talent - singing shyly from the backseat of the car, but mostly engaged with music as a fan. His father’s extensive record collection captivated him, and Peterson spent much of his young life digging through a veritable treasure trove of albums where he was exposed to everything from Miles Davis to Jimi Hendrix.

Music for the Season

1:36 pm

Sun December 14, 2014

On Monday, December 15th, WRTI will begin to drizzle a bit of the holidays into our regular smorgasbord of jazz delights. There are exciting, new festive winter releases from the likes of Irvin Mayfield and the Jazz Playhouse Review, David Ian, and the top-notch performers from Mack Avenue Records.

You'll also hear the Yuletide classics you expect from WRTI - selections from Stan Kenton, Jimmy Smith and Ella Fitzgerald - all mixed in with regular jazz programming. Join as us we set the mood for holiday tables and fireplace gatherings.